Pay Advance Legal

Faster action sought on county pay-to-play law

Two Bergen County freeholders are pushing for a vote on pay-to-play reform in the next three weeks.

Democratic Freeholder David Ganz said in an interview that the board should meet before its next scheduled meeting August 10 to vote on a proposal that would tighten the law of the county of political patronage.

"I try to convince anyone willing to do it," he said.

Republican Freeholder Robert Hermansen, the Council should take the proposal of the program committee of three people and give it to the board's lawyer to draft an order that would be voted on August 10. "It is time," he said.

The program committee, composed of freeholders John Driscoll, John Felice and John Mitchell, all Republicans, is pending a full legal review of the issue, according to Mitchell.

Driscoll, who is also the Freeholder Chairman, noted that part of the review includes an examination of how the contributions of unions could be recognized. The proposal is now focused primarily on contractors working for the county.

"We want to get it right the first time," said Driscoll. "The unions put a lot of money for campaigns, too. I think they should be included."

The proposal under consideration would be to set contribution levels for companies and individuals who have contracts with Bergen County to $ 300 per candidate a year and a total of $ 2,500 per year for all candidates .

Contribution limits in the county are now set by state law, which allows businesses and individuals to contribute $ 2,600 per candidate per election. Current county law focuses on disclosure of contributions.

Some advocates of pay-to-play reform describes an additional provision to the current proposal as a way to delay the reform, while Republicans are preparing County raising funds for the election of November.

Paul Eisenman, head of the Bergen-based defense group, said that if the commission wants to address the dues, it might do so in a separate order.

"It is as a dropout," said Eisenman. "They're going back on their word."

He noted that Bergen Grassroots supported Hermansen, Driscoll, Mitchell and Republican Freeholder Maura DeNicola for their positions on the pay-to-play reform over the last two elections.

DeNicola and Mitchell both said they would vote on an order as soon as possible once all outstanding issues have been resolved.

Until it has received notice that it vote and the proper procedures are followed legal, DeNicola said, it will be ready to vote Aug. 10. She said she had voted for the proposal to table in June because it had not yet read.